I am an Indian citizen and was issued a B1 visa, valid for 6 months, in last December from the Dubai US consulate. I travelled to the United States and exited before the i94 expired. The previous purpose of visit was elective clerkship and I have reapplied once more for the same reason .Will I be issued a visa again ?If so ,are the chances of getting a 6 month valid visa higher than receiving a ten year valid visa?

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There’s no minimum wait period before you can re-apply, AFAIK. What’s your premise to justify a 10 year multiple entry visa?
– TravellerAug 24 at 14:40

@phoog Thank you, I wasn’t aware of the reciprocity table travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/… So, presumably if the OP got 6 months the first time round, that’s what they can expect next time? Otherwise the first visa expiry would have been longer?
– TravellerAug 24 at 17:18

@Traveller I believe the validity period can be shorter than that specified in the reciprocity table in exceptional cases, but I think that's fairly rare. Also, for some countries there are different periods for the different types of B visa, so a subsequent visa for a different purpose might be issued for a different period. In this case, the purpose of travel is the same, so the visa's period of validity will probably be the same.
– phoogAug 26 at 2:43

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Are you certain that you have read the visa sticker correctly? As an Indian citizen you should normally have received a visa with an expiration date in December 2028, but the stamp you received at the border (and you I-94 record) should have shown a date six months after your date of entry.
– phoogAug 26 at 2:49

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Why did someone delete my comment to which traveler was responding?
– phoogAug 26 at 2:49

1 Answer
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US visa validity for a B visitor visa is normally 10 years, unless the reciprocity table for a country specifies a shorter duration. Reciprocity in this circumstance means that the US issues shorter validity visas for a country's citizens if that country issues shorter validity visas for US citizens.

In the case of India there is no reciprocity issue and Indian citizens can get 10 year validity visas.

However, the visa validity can be limited in some circumstances. If the consular officer believes that your circumstances are OK now, but might not be OK in the future, then you may get a shorter validity visa. One example given in the Foreign Affairs Manual is of a high school student about to graduate but who has not yet been accepted to a university. He might qualify for the visa now, but might not qualify after graduation, so he would receive a visa for a shorter duration.

For example, in a country with 10-year visa reciprocity, this could apply in the case a 17 year-old high school senior who has not yet been accepted to university and seeks to travel on a family trip with his or her family, when the consular officer believes the applicant overcomes 214(b) at the time of the interview, but would wish to re-interview the applicant in the future. That could constitute reason to issue a visa with less than the full 10-year validity permitted by the Reciprocity Schedule. In contrast, in the same country, a 17 year-old applicant accepted to the country's most competitive university and who plans to later attend medical school may be an applicant to whom a consular officer would approve a full validity visa. These examples illustrate that, as with all visa adjudications, the consular officer must make a case-by-case determination concerning visa validity based on the applicant's specific circumstances.

So there are no "chances" to get a 10 year validity visa. It is all based on your own personal circumstances. You might think about whether there is anything in your personal circumstances which may make the consular officer think you qualify now, but might not qualify later. Perhaps your residence is about to expire and has not been renewed?

Thanks for your reply sir .My purpose of visit was elective clerkship/observship .I am a 4th year medical student and I am supposed to do few clinical clerkships before graduation .Where as all my friends who applied in India with same purpose received a ten year valid visa .But since I reapplied again for the same purpose ,is there chances for me to receive a visa at all ?or a 6 month valid visa again?
– Kristina MerriyaAug 25 at 7:30

@Kristina Merriya Is it essential to complete your elective training in the US?
– TravellerAug 25 at 8:19

Yes it is mandatory sir.And everybody completed it already which might take even an year but our medschool doesn't provide a student visa .what do you think ?will I get visa at all?
– Kristina MerriyaAug 25 at 9:20

Have you made plans for after graduation? Are they shown in your visa application? You should discuss this in your interview.
– Michael HamptonAug 25 at 18:13

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@KristinaMerriya of course there is a possibility to get a six-month visa. There is also a possibility to get a ten-year visa. We cannot look into the minds of the consular staff; we can only say what the law allows. I repeat my question from an earlier comment: are you certain that you have read the visa sticker correctly? What is the issue date? What is the expiration date?
– phoogAug 27 at 14:25